The present innovation concerns an insertion device serving to introduce paper sheets or foil sheets at exact and preset intervals into the intake area of a cutting machine so that these paper or foil sheets wind up exactly between two adjacent slices cut by the cutting machine. In other words, purpose of the paper or foil sheet fed into the area of the cutting machine by the insertion device is to prevent the adherence of two slices placed above one another. Such slices are produced primarily when cutting cheese, sausage or other foods. It is customary to transport either paper sheets or foil sheets into the cutting machine through the insertion device.
An insertion device of the type mentioned above is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,729. At a relatively low speed of 500 sheets per minute, it introduces appropriate paper sheets into the area of the cutting machine and ensures that these paper sheets wind up exactly between two successively cut slices. The disadvantage of this known insertion device however was that it was relatively bulky and that in addition it did not operate autonomously with regard to the main gear of the cutting machine. Indeed, the familiar insertion device had the disadvantage that it required two drive lines as drive for the paper roll and as advance drive for the corresponding feed mechanism, whereby both drive lines were coupled mechanically to the main gear of the cutting machine.
The resulting disadvantage was that the insertion device was fixed to the cutting machine and could not be removed for cleaning purposes. In fact, any removal was possible only at great mechanical expense.
In addition, the familiar insertion device made it necessary to activate pneumatically various drive and control elements, which required great expense due to the separate pneumatic lines. In addition, there was the disadvantage that due to the fully mechanical drive of the familiar insertion, derived from the main gear of the cutting machine, and due to the necessity of a few pneumatic drive and control elements, the familiar insertion device operated relatively slowly, and, as mentioned earlier, required a great deal of space.
Also, the precision of the familiar insertion device left a great deal to be desired because the return accuracy was not exactly adjustable due to the supply of the control elements with air.